Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wearable fitness devices and fitness devices interchangeable with plural wearable articles.
Description of Related Art
Fashion played a vital role in the explosion of fitness accessories and the companies which market them, such as Nike, Adidas, Champion, Reebok, and other companies. This industry has brought the gym out onto the street and into the shopping malls, casual restaurants, schools, etc. However, many people still spend the bulk of their time in places where fitness-oriented clothing, no matter how attractive, is not appropriate or desired. The workplace, places of worship, finer dining establishments, concerts and nightclubs, etc. are all venues where fitness apparel is not usually worn. People who spend the majority of their hours outside of the gym are looking for solutions to the problem of building fitness into their lives.
Meanwhile, affordable and attractive fashions and fashion accessories continue to serve busy people's lives. With disposable income higher than disposable time, people look to manufacturers to provide functional attractive solutions. The market for fashion accessories continues to grow.
Certain people attempt to incorporate fitness into their everyday lives. For example, we all know that we should walk more, but tracking our progress has been limited by ugly, impractical step meters. For women and certain workers required to wear uniforms, existing step counters are impractical. Existing counters typically are clipped to the waistband of the wearer's clothing, or alternatively may be strapped to the waist using a band. While this method of attachment is practical when the wearer is dressed in athletic clothing such as jogging pants, shorts or sweat pants, it is impractical and cumbersome when the wearer is dressed in less casual clothing such as a dress, suit or uniform. Many articles of clothing, e.g., dresses, offer no waistband on which the device can be attached, while other articles of clothing, e.g., skirts or dress pants, develop awkward and uncomfortable bulges when the device is attached. For workers in uniform, e.g., wait staff, nurses, etc., attachable devices are outside of the safe or desired dress code. In all circumstances, the clip may be dislodged resulting in loss of the device during normal daily activities such as working, driving, cleaning, using the toilet, etc.
Recent medical research1 confirms that calories expended outside of planned exercise are critical to maintaining or losing weight. It is generally agreed2 that the best way for a sedentary (or active) person to increase the amount of calories expended is by simply walking. The government3 recommends that the general public strive to add extra steps of walking to their daily regimen every day, and to use a step counter or pedometer to measure progress to the attainment of the goal. None-the-less, for many people the inability to accurately capture non-planned exercise steps due to the impracticality of the pedometers available results in frustration, so that the programs goals are not achieved. 1 www.mayoclinic.org/news2004-mchi/2310.html2 See, e.g., www.americaonthemove.org, aom.americaonthemove.org/site/c.hiJRKOPFJpH/b.1311167/k.8725/active_living.htm3 CDC, e.g., Wilson D B, Porter J S, Parker G, Smith T J, Kilpatrick J. Using exercise for risk reduction in African American breast cancer survivors: a community-based pilot study [abstract]. Prev Chronic Dis [serial online] 2004 April [date cited]. Available from www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2004/apr/03_0034r.htm.; NIH, e.g., http://dnrc.nih.gov/move/pedometer_use.htm
Various types of pedometers are known. In general, most pedometers count steps taken due to the impact of every forward or downward movement, which causes a hammer to hit a sensor which activates a counter. Certain pedometers have various sensitivity adjustments to fit individual needs. Some pedometers take the number of steps counted and convert them into a distance. Most pedometers have a tiny spring-set horizontal arm that moves up and down as you walk and measures the vertical movement, e.g., of your legs. Electronic pedometers can detect the impact of your foot hitting the ground. Discussions of pedometers can be found, for example, at WellSpring, “Watch Your Step: Pedometers and Physical Activity”, Winter 2003 Volume 14, Number 2 by Marshall et al.4 and Detroit Free Press Business News, “Consumer guide: Pedometers”, May 4, 2003 by Barbara Arrigo5. 4 www.centre4activeliving.ca/publications/wellspring/2003/Spring/HowTheyWork.html5 www.freep.com/money/business/guide4_20030504.htm; www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=144671 (Jun. 1, 2003 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
In addition, accelerometers have been taught as having application in pedometers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,008,350 to Yamazaki, et al. issued Mar. 7, 2006 entitled “Health amount-of-exercise managing device” teaches an apparatus for managing the quantity of exercising to be healthy, using a body fat meter along with a pedometer or an accelerometer for measuring vertical shaky movement; U.S. Pat. No. 6,898,550 to Blackadar, et al. issued May 24, 2005 entitled “Monitoring activity of a user in locomotion on foot” discloses a foot mounted sensor for sensing motion of one's feet such as a solid-state accelerometer that senses acceleration along an acceleration sensing axis; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,298,314 to Blackadar, et al. issued Oct. 2, 2001 entitled “Detecting the starting and stopping of movement of a person on foot” also discloses an accelerometer is mounted on a person's foot so that it generates a signal when the person's foot moves. These various devices advantageously utilize multiple functions of motion-sensing chip technology to incorporate various functionality into the device. Darley U.S. Pat. No. 6,560,903, entitled “Ambulatory Foot Pod,” discloses a holder for wearing upon a shoe, which is mentioned as being able to hold a pedometer. Importantly, the disclosure of Darley does not describe in any way how a user would wear the device other than being tightly attached to the shoelaces of a user's shoe or sneaker with an elastic member. While the specification of Darley makes certain broad statements about its applicability to being worn by a person, there is nothing therein that actually describes how the article is worn by a person. However, this is not enabling, because the elastic member described in Darley is only set forth as applicable to tightly attaching to shoelaces, and not for attachment to a limb of a person. As described by Darley, “the retaining member 108” on the object is “capable of receiving an elastic member 110 (or an extension thereof such as a hook or ring) after the elastic member 110 has been stretched about the portion of the object to which the apparatus 100 is to be secured (e.g., crossings 302 of a shoelace 312 of the shoe 304). In the example shown, the retaining member 108 forms a shoulder 202 (see FIG. 2 of Darley) on which a portion 204 of the elastic member 110 can be retained when the elastic member 110 is stretched about the shoelace crossings 302.” (Col. 3, lines 7-29). The properties of the elastic member are also described as having sufficient elasticity that at least some tension remains in the elastic member when it is wrapped about the object to which the housing is secured, and examples are provides as “an elastic shock cord such as the type used for hair braids, a rubber stretch cord, or any other cord or element made of a material having the desired characteristics.” (Darley, col. 3, lines 33-49). This is indeed consistent with the only operable embodiments described in Darley, namely, to retain the apparatus 100 by securing it about the shoelace crossings 302, and is not consistent with the broad statements about its applicability to being worn by a person about one's wrist, ankle or neck. Since this elastic member is described as an elastic member for tightening to shoelaces, with the requisite elasticity, this certainly would be an uncomfortable, if not dangerous situation, for a wearer to wear directly upon one's body. This is not addressed at all by Darley.
Freeman et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,229,385, entitled “Wearable Device,” discloses a flexible electronic device including a display that is incorporated in an article of clothing or a strap that can be worn. While this reference discloses that the device can be removed from the wearer's body and used as a standalone device, such as a remote control, a display or other electronic device, the entire wearable article is removed (except in one embodiment, where a holographic layer is described as being removable). This is necessary, as electronic circuitry is integral within the article of clothing or strap that the user wears.
In addition to the functional changes required to ensure that the pedometer or accelerometer accurately records the number of steps, it is also desired that the device fit into the wardrobe of the wearer. Darley attempts to address this problem, but only insomuch as the pedometer may be worn directly upon one's shoe. For specific athletic wear, such as when one sets forth to go to a track to walk or run, this may be suitable. However, for most everyday activities in places where fitness-oriented clothing is not appropriate or desired, such as the workplace, places or worship, finer dining establishments, concerts, nightclubs, and shopping venues, many people feel more comfortable wearing clothing that is more formal. Therefore, Darley and other art that addresses incorporation of pedometers specifically in fitness apparel such as athletic shows clearly does not solve this problem. In addition, Darley does not address interchangeability of the same fitness device with different articles of clothing to coordinate with a wearer's outfit or to accommodate one's personal taste.
Furthermore, the device of Freeman et al. is specifically an electronic device, and makes no attempt to provide a device that coordinates with one's outfit or accommodate personal tastes. In addition, Freeman et al. does not address interchangeability of the same fitness device with different articles of clothing.
Accordingly, these problems that are not addressed by existing wearable articles are solved by various embodiments of the present invention, integrating functionality and fashion to enhance the success of a wearer using the product and following the guidelines for healthy living as medical experts recommend. While the benefits of pedometers and the like are well known, heretofore unknown to the art are integrated fashionable accessories and garments suitable for holding pedometers and/or other fitness devices.